SEMATECH and the newly merged SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) / SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) announced today they have launched their joint Patterning Center of Excellence. The new Center will leverage the CNSE/SUNYIT lithography infrastructure which includes state-of-the-art film deposition and etch capability, leading-edge patterning systems and SEMATECH's Resist Materials Development Center's (RMDC) world class EUV imaging capabilities.

​The Patterning Center of Excellence (CoE) will enable lithography equipment and lithographic materials manufacturing companies access to a vertically integrated semiconductor processing facility. The new Center aims to reduce the tangible and intangible costs of developing critical lithography materials for individual semiconductor companies. CNSE has continued to build capability, enabling technological excellence as represented by the Center for Semiconductor Research (CSR), a leading-edge research center valued at more than $1 billion established at CNSE in May 2005; the Global 450 Consortium (G450C), which is focused on building the 450mm wafer and equipment development environment; and by CNSE's membership in SEMATECH.

"Building on SEMATECH's recent achievements in mask blank and resist, the new Patterning Center will provide the critical capabilities that will continue to produce the results that our members and the industry need to show that EUV lithography is manufacturable," said Michael Lercel Senior Director and Chief Technologist at SEMATECH. "Furthermore, the new Center will provide an excellent platform for advancing cost-effective semiconductor materials and process solutions needed to enable EUV and emerging patterning technologies."

"The new Patterning Center further builds on the world-class capabilities enabled by the SEMATECH-CNSE/SUNYIT partnership to support the commercialization of EUVL technologies," said Dr. Michael Liehr, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology of the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT. "New York State continues to chart a pioneering path for the semiconductor industry under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and we are delighted to support the advanced technology needs of our global corporate partners and the industry."

Advances in lithographic patterning critically depend on the timely availability of enabling resists and materials. The new center, a vital component that builds on SEMATECH's mask blank and novel imaging efforts, will enable companies to assess their materials, test new tooling, and validate designs for the manufacturing EUVL and other next-generation technologies through access to the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT's advanced fabrication facilities.

"The challenges for advanced lithography are developing resist processes that meet the stringent resolution, linewidth roughness, and sensitivity specifications," said Kevin Cummings, SEMATECH's Director of Lithography. "These processes will not be available in time without intervention, and the Patterning Center is the place where the industry's the most advanced technologists can come together and partner to commercialize extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and other technologies for the manufacturing of future nanoelectronics devices."

"The industry is at a crossroads" said Warren Montgomery, Assistant Vice President of Advanced Technology and Business Development at the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT. "The high cost of R&D has made it very difficult to do the research and development needed to continue the drive to smaller and smaller features sizes. The creation of collaborative 'centers' like the Centers of Excellence at CNSE and this newly created Patterning Center, being created by CNSE and SEMATECH, will enable R&D to continue while keeping the economics reasonable."

"For over a decade, SEMATECH has remained committed to finding cost-effective solutions through its connections with a broad base of member company engineers, suppliers, and academic researchers to ensure the affordable evolution of emerging lithography technologies," said Edward Barth Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives at SEMATECH. "Building on SEMATECH's latest development efforts in mask and novel imaging, the new Center will provide an excellent platform for advancing cost-effective semiconductor materials and process solutions for future nanoelectronics devices."

Over the past decade, SEMATECH has enabled fast cycle time of resist and materials development by providing the industry access to successive generations of small field exposure tools. In addition, SEMATECH's projects have succeeded in measuring the outgassing characteristics in hundreds of EUV resists and materials formulations, and delivering thousands of EUV exposure shifts to member companies that have enabled tens of thousands of materials formulations to be evaluated.

SEMATECH and CNSE/SUNYIT's new Patterning Center is taking the collaboration with CNSE/SUNY IT and its global ecosystem and research network one step further by enabling them to share the costs for advancing resist and materials and process development to support the critical needs of industry.

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